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The University of Alabama (UA) Student Senate passed a “free speech” resolution that directly opposes a “hate speech” resolution previously passed by UA’s Faculty Senate. The students’ move comes after close consultation with the FIRE, and the resolution follows an open letter FIRE sent to the UA community to protest the faculty’s proposed regulations. After UA’s Faculty Senate resolution condemning hate speech, FIRE wrote an open letter to UA in opposition to the hate speech resolution reminding UA that the policy restrictions were unconstitutional and recommended the Faculty Senate rescind the resolution. Heeding FIRE’s advice, the Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of free speech, demonstrating that many individuals on campuses still believe in upholding free speech despite the possibility of offense.

By Mike Adams at Townhall.com For years, communism has been preventing me from enjoying a lot of good cigars. That used to bother me, until I found a way around the problem. As many of my readers know, there are more communists teaching on the average American campus than there are teaching in all of Cuba. And, of course, these communist professors do a lot of stupid things, most of which violate the United States Constitution. I have learned that fighting American communist professors is fun, largely because they are so easy to beat when challenged. That’s why I smoke […]

The UA Faculty Senate is a free speech violator and created a “speech code” with its resolution that condemns hate speech, officials at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education say. In response to an incident at an event sponsored by University Programs where a comedian directed homosexual jokes toward a student, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution condemning “hate speech” and advised that UA administration institute policies that UA sponsored speakers should not be able to make racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, anti-Islamic, homophobic or ethnic statements. Officials at FIRE are concerned that the resolution will limit freedom of […]

IT ISN’T often that a group of college professors is soundly and thoroughly embarrassed by a collection of mere students in an intellectual arena. But that’s exactly what happened at the end of February, when the University of Alabama’s Student Senate passed a sharp resolution directly opposing a heavy-handed, short-sighted and illiberal “hate speech” resolution that their Faculty Senate had already passed. The Faculty Senate’s original resolution called for the creation of a series of new regulations which threatened to drastically curtail First Amendment rights at their public university. With their remarkably independent and sophisticated response, UA’s students have schooled […]

University of Alabama students are reacting to a perceived attack on their First Amendment rights. Last fall the Faculty Senate at the University of Alabama passed a resolution banning school-sponsored speech that could be considered homophobic, sexist, or racist. In response, the Student Senate passed a free-speech resolution that directly counters the so-called “hate speech” resolution. David French, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), describes the students’ move as brilliant. He says he had sent an open letter to the UA community, protesting the faculty’s policy. The problem with the school’s resolution, French says, […]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala., February 28, 2005—In a remarkable display of intellectual independence and moral courage, the University of Alabama (UA) Student Senate last week passed a “free speech” resolution that directly opposes a “hate speech” resolution passed by UA’s Faculty Senate last fall. Recognizing that the faculty’s “hate speech” resolution was a thinly veiled call for a speech code, the students’ resolution urges the UA administration and faculty “to adopt policies that explicitly protect free speech for all students at the University of Alabama.” The students’ move comes after close consultation with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and […]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala., November 11, 2004—Freedom of expression is once again under assault at the University of Alabama (UA). In September, the UA Faculty Senate responded to public controversy about a UA comedy event by passing a resolution that threatens to severely restrict free expression on this public campus. The Senate’s proposed policy would regulate speech in approved university activities and contractually restrict outside speakers whose speech might be deemed to be “demeaning.” Yesterday, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) submitted an open letter protesting this policy to hundreds of members of the UA community. “UA students […]

Dear Faculty Senate, Student Leaders, and Administrators of the University of Alabama: The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is deeply concerned that freedom of expression is once again under assault at the University of Alabama. Last September, in response to a controversial incident at a comedy event sponsored by University Programs, the UA Faculty Senate passed a resolution that threatens to severely restrict free expression on campus. The resolution seeks to eliminate speech that might be deemed “offensive” from any approved university program or activity through regulation of and contractual restrictions upon speakers who may potentially engage […]